Old Town Annapolis

My wife and I did some touring around the oldest buildings in Annapolis courtesy of two Adventure Labs, one identifying homes of Maryland's signers of the Declaration of Independence and the other identifying the oldest buildings.

Our first stop was the Charles Carroll House. Charles Carroll was the third "Charles Carroll" to live in the area. His grandfather, Charles Carroll the Settler, was from Ireland and was the first of the family to come to the colonies. Charles's father, Charles Carroll of Annapolis, was involved in the colonial government along with maintaining farms in the area. He gave his son, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, some land to build a country house (now at The Shrine of Saint Anthony in Ellicott City, Maryland).  Charles still lived in this house when he was in town, often practicing law and participating in the government. In addition to signing the Declaration, Charles Carroll of Carrollton served in the state government and helped to found the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. When he died in 1832, he was the last surviving signer. He was also the only Catholic to sign the Declaration. See inside the house here.

Charles Carrolls' house

Likely built in 1738, the Jonas and Catharine Green House was their home. They published the Maryland Gazette from their home starting in 1740, the forerunner of the current Capital Gazette. Jonas held various jobs around town, including postmaster, city councilman, and vestryman at St. Anne's Parish. He died in 1767 but Catharine kept on printing the Gazette. The home is now a private residence.

The Green House (not actually green)

As we walked to our next destination, we saw an alleyway with someone's front door at the end. I hope these other buildings weren't originally here, the layout seems very inconvenient. I wonder what kind of furniture is in their house?

Maybe they have a back door on the other street?

The Maryland State House was built in the late 1700s. In 1783 and 1784 Annapolis was the United States Capital. General George Washington resigned his military commission in this building in 1783 and the Treaty of Paris was ratified here in 1784. The building is still in use as the seat of the state government, though it is undergoing an exterior renovation. They put up some clever screening to make it look the way it should. 

A modest Capitol

View from the side

Interestingly, the State House, while dating back to the 1700s, is only the 25th oldest building in town. The nearby Old Treasury Building was constructed in 1735-1736 by Patrick Creagh and it issued the first paper money in the colonies. It's the oldest public building in the capital but is also currently under renovations.

Old Treasury Building

Another interesting random bit we ran across was this micro-bench with some toys on it.

Naval Academy fans

The Shiplap House dates from 1715. It is not named after a person. The siding is of varying widths, called "Shiplap" back in the day. The building was originally a tavern; later it became a home for various merchants, artists, and artisans. Now it is office space for Historic Annapolis.

Shiplap House

Nearby we saw a little display of Annapolis life in the 1700s, including a diorama of the harbor.

Downtown with the Carroll House in the lower right

The harbor

The Sands House is by the harbor and is believed to have been built in 1681, making it the oldest wooden frame house in the area. When originally built, it was right by the water. As the harbor gradually filled in, the house is now a block from the water. The name comes from John Sands, who owned the house in 1771 and used it as a tavern.

Sands House

William Paca (1740-1799) was another signer of the Declaration. Before, he served in the colonial legislature and formed the Sons of Liberty with Samuel Chase in 1765. He was Maryland's third governor. The house was owned by private families up to 1901, when it was bought and converted into a swanky hotel called Carvel Hall. In 1965, the hotel closed and the house and lands were purchased by Historic Annapolis and the State of Maryland, turning it into a historic site. See the inside here.

William Paca house

Another signer, Samuel Chase, was an Annapolis lawyer in the 1760s. He was elected to the General Assembly and started construction of a Georgian mansion. He did not have the finances to finish it and sold the property to Edward Lloyd IV in 1771. So the house is known as the Chase-Lloyd House. It was owned privately until 1886, when Hester Chase Ridout willed it to be a safe haven and home for elderly women. It served in this capacity until 2020.

Chase-Lloyd House

The fourth and final signer, Thomas Stone, practiced circuit law (riding from Port Tobacco through Frederick and to Annapolis) in the colonial period. He and his family lived in Charles County, Maryland, for a long time, moving to this house in 1783. The house was originally owned by Stone's uncle, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, who bought the house back in 1787 when Stone died. The house is known as the Peggy Stewart House (named after a famous ship that was burned in Annapolis harbor much like the Boston Tea Party) and is a private residence.

Peggy Stewart House

As we walked back to the car, we saw a house we thought was creepy looking. The photo does not do it justice (or maybe I should write "injustice"). It struck as as the sort of house that would be haunted or feature in a horror film.

The camera adds innocence